Flexible button



Aug. 7, G. W. BLANK FLEXIBLE BUTTON Fixed oct. '1. 1927 Gerry@ lil ati

Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES GEORGE w. BLANK, or rninannnrnra, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLEXIBLE BUTTN.

Application filed ctobcr 7, 1927. Serial No. 224,5ft.

My inventionl relates to new and useful improvements in a 'flexible button and has tor its primary object to produce a button havingV a head ol. rubber with a resilient or spring; metal lock and inetal stud;

Another object oi the intention `is to pro- Vide a button which will be siinple in -construction, inexpensive .in the cost o'l' inanu- 4facture. and sti-onu` and durable.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a button including attaehable coactinn` elements whereby it may be readily secured or lined to a garment or other ar ticle Without the use ol' thread or analogous substance.

A still further object ol the invention to so tashion the parts of the button to ivinfovide for resiliently clarnpinpI the 'Fabric between button elements.

lilith these ends in View, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination ot elements hereinafter set forth and then specilieally designated by the claims. i y

ln order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to inale and use the saine, I Will describe its construction in detail, retori-ing;1 by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a` part oit this application, in which:

Fig. l, a plan View ot the button head per lfig. 2, is an inner end View ofthe loch.

F 3, is an edge View thereof.

Fig'. 4, is a sectional View of the head with the loclr therein.

Fig. 5. is an enlarged sectional View ot the complete button sho-Wingl it attached to an article.

6, is a plan View' ot" the stud` on a reduced scale.

7, is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 7, is a side elevation of' a inodiiied torni of stud.

liipg. 8, is a plan or tace 1View oit the button head showing` a modified construction.

Fig. 9, is a cross section thereof.

lllig'. l0, is an end View of the spring, lock used in this form of the invention.

Fig. ll, is an edge View thereof.

Fig. l2, is a sectional vien7 of the button head with the spring lock therein.

lin carrying out my invention as herein embodied, l represents the head of the but spring button ton, and while I have illustrated. it as being.; formed as a rubber dlsc tor flexibility, 1t is to be understood that `I may, under some conditions, utilize metal, bone or another buttons are attached, and they are .more coiui tortable to the wearer because they are sott and unlikely to cause an injury.` i

'lhe head. oi the button is herein illustrated in rather ezag'g'erated thickness. but this has heen done to clearly illustrate the feature oit the resilient clamping; action between the parts. i i

In the outer portion of` the button head is formed a, chamber 16 ot a size and shape Whiel'i `will snugly :lit the spring,r lock as shown in l, this eliainber :may be square as illustrated in Fig. 8 or it may be round, and it found desirable, any other shapeinay be utilized. ln the inner portion ot the head is 'toi-ined a passageway 17 ttor registration with a stud and said passageway coniniuni- Cates with the chamber.

Ti-thin tllechainber is litted the spring -locl 1&3 which is foi-ined from a suitable piece or section oit resilient or spring` inetal so t'r-ishioned` or bent as to provide an outer Wall 'i9 ott a shape correepondingr to the shape of the charnber 1G which may be square as shown in Fig. 2 or round. as in Fig. 10, and ilroin the outer Wall i9, project the end Walls 2O silbstantially at rigijht anales to the wall 19, While from said end Walls project the inwardly entendinn,v eoaetiilg inner walls 2l, on adjacent edges of which are pre'ln'ably slightly separated, althoughsaid edges might contact. and in said adjacent or inner edges are termed .notches S22, preferably ol se1nicircular contour.

. To fasten the button to an article, a stud 23 is providedwhich. includes a base and a shanlrQ, the latter having` a pointed ta pered or conical piercing head 26, `the base portion oi said head being.;` ot greater diameter than the shank 25 providingF a shoulder for coaction with the inner Walls 21 of the spring lock, it being understood that the notches 9.2 together form a hole of substantially the same diameter as the shank 25 of the stud. -By inserting the stud slianlr into the passageway 17 and then force its head fil between the inner lwalls 21, said walls will l be first sprung apart'until the stud head has passed beyond them, at which time the resil-V iency of the lock combined withtheresil-r iency of the rubber' head `will cause said lock 'to return toits vnormal position and f firmlyy grip the stud. vIt is preferable that vthe distance betweenfthe inner face of the base of theV stud and the base of the head 26 of Ythe stud be shorter Ythan the distance between theinncrmost facesv of the walls 21 andthe lower face of the button head so that Vwhen thestud is in a locked position, it will be under'pressure ofy the button head, .since lthe lattery must'be compressed tocause the stud head to pass 'the'walls 21 of the lock.

Y The inner face of the stud base is provided -with an annularrib .27 which will be emi. bedded in the button headwhen the stud is in a locked position, andfwilll therefore,

produce an oft-,set in any fabric 28 to which the buttonl is attached so that threads vof To secure a button to an article, as to a garment article ofwearing apparel, the head ofthe stud is forced through the fabric and the'buttonv head then placed over the shank vof the'stud and said buttonfhead and stud Vpressed toward each other A'until ythe stud ih'e'ad passes beween thefinturned inner walls 21 ofthe lockatwhich 'timethe parts of the button `rwill be securely fastened together and fixed to t-he article.'

The structure shown in Figs. 8 to l2 inclusive vis Videntical with that shown in the other l figures with the exception of the outer shape or contour Vofthe spring lock and the chamber in the button head in which itis received,

and therefore, the same references in numerals are used in both forms, because it is understood that'any shape of loek is to fall within the scope of this invention.

j ',Ofgcou'rse I do not wish tobe limited to @the exact details of construction as herein shown, as these may be varied within the limits of the Vappended claims ywithout departingfrom-the spirit of my invention Having'V thus fully described my invengrtion, what I claim kas'new'and useful is:

1. A Vbutton comprising a head of flexible material, 'a locking spring within said head,

V"and a stud projecting Vinto the button head for engagement with the locking spring and Vineluding'a base,A aisha'nk and a head, the

distance betweenthe inner or under face of the button head and the stud engaging portion of the locking spring being greater than the distance between the stud base and its head whereby the button head will be slightly compressed when the parts are in eo-operative relation.

2. A button comprising a resilientrubber button head, a locking spring embedded in the button head so that the resiliency of said head is combined with the inherent resiliency of the spring to norn'ially maintain the latter in operative condition, and a stud including locking spring engaging means and an element acting as a clamp in co-operation with said button head.

3. A button comprising a resilient rubber head, a locking spring fitted in said head under the compression thereof and including an louter wall, end walls and inner walls, the latter projecting toward each other for cooperative actionv of their inner edges, and a stud including a base, a. shank projecting therefrom, a piercing head at the end of the shank opposite the base, and an annular rib on said base surrounding the shank, said shank with its head projecting through a passageway in the button head and engaging the locking spring.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 wherein the distance between the inner or under face of the button head and the inner or upper faces of the inner walls of the locking spring is greater than the distance between the inner or upper face of the stud base and the outer or under face of the stud head.

5. A button consisting of a head having a chamber in its outer portion and a passageway in its inner portion communicating with said chamber, a locking spring including awall disposed across the outer end of said chamber and entirely closing the latter and stud engaging means within said chamber, and a stud insertible through the passageway for coaction with said stud engag- Ving means of the locking spring.

6. A button consist-ing of a com ressible head, a locking member fitted in l ie outer end'of said head, a stud projectable through the inner end of said head for engagement with the locking means and an annular rib carried by the stud to engage the inner end face of the compressible head for clamping material Ybetween the stud and said head with an off-set in the clamped material.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto nffixed my signature.

GEORGE W. BLANK. 

